Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Hanlin Academy.

Inside the duty room, Chen Chang'an was preparing his lesson.

The content of "The Essentials of Heaven" was too obscure and profound for the children, but Chen Chang'an could not choose the content of his lessons. He could only try his best to explain the principles in language that the children could understand.

Just as he was writing his lesson plan, Cui Shou knocked on the door and slowly walked in.

He walked straight to Chen Chang'an's seat, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Chen Xiuzhuan, I have been ordered by the Dean of the Academy to inform you of something..."

Chen Chang'an raised an eyebrow, slowly stood up, and asked, "What is it?"

Cui Shou feigned a troubled expression and slowly said, "Just now, all the Grand Secretaries gathered in the academy for a meeting. Grand Secretary Sun Yan mentioned that your teaching at the Eastern Palace is not in accordance with orthodoxy. You have abandoned the study of sages and classics, and instead tell vulgar stories of gods and demons every day. You are misleading the imperial heir with absurd tales, neglecting his studies, and failing in your duties as a teacher..."

Chen Chang'an raised an eyebrow, but his expression remained calm.

Is Dou Wenhuan devising another plan after one failed attempt?

He told the imperial heirs stories of gods and demons, but the purpose of telling the stories was to make them take their studies seriously. The results have already begun to show, so how can it be said that they have neglected their studies?

Cui Shou changed the subject and continued, "However, the headmaster defended you in public, saying that you were new to the Hanlin Academy and teaching the Crown Prince for the first time, so it was understandable that you were biased for a moment. Therefore, he will not hold your mistake against you this time."

He paused, then spoke again, his tone tinged with helplessness, saying, "This humble official fully agrees with Lord Chen's teaching methods, but the royal family has its own rules, and the imperial majesty cannot be broken. From now on, when you teach at the Eastern Palace, you may only teach the classics of sages that are already in the textbooks, and you may no longer tell those stories, otherwise you will certainly be punished..."

Chen Chang'an listened quietly without saying a word.

Dou Wenhuan's attempt to exonerate him was a lie; this whole affair was probably a play he orchestrated himself.

By using others to impeach him and create momentum, he then personally steps forward to play the good guy, doing him a favor and establishing a persona of being forgiving and magnanimous.

As expected of the old fox in the cabinet, this move not only preserved his own reputation but also branded Chen Chang'an as someone who violated etiquette and rules...

Unlike the deliberate obstruction last time, his methods this time were much more sophisticated. He slapped a heavy label on Chen Chang'an, leaving him with no choice but to accept it.

Chen Chang'an nodded slightly and said, "I understand."

Cui Shou stood there, sighing inwardly.

He was ordered to monitor Chen Chang'an and witnessed firsthand how Chen Chang'an was skilled in teaching and tailored his instruction to individual students, turning a group of unruly imperial heirs into diligent and inquisitive learners. The claim by Grand Secretary Sun that Chen Chang'an was misleading the children and wasting their studies was utter nonsense.

Unfortunately, the rules of the court were all in the hands of these veteran officials.

After conveying the words of the headmaster, Cui Shou did not leave in a hurry.

He hesitated for a long time, his mind in turmoil, but finally, unable to resist his deep-seated curiosity, he lowered his voice and asked Chen Chang'an, "Lord Chen, what happened to that monkey who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace?"

Not only the imperial heirs, but he was also deeply attracted by this story.

Chen Chang'an smiled at him and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Cui, this is the Hanlin Academy, a place for serious academic research. We cannot tell those absurd stories of gods and demons here..."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shou sighed softly and left with a dejected look on his face...

After leaving the yamen, Chen Chang'an returned to the Zhuangyuan Mansion alone.

Although this is his home, Qing Shuang and Gong Yue spend more time here during the day. Gong Yue is in charge of the shop's operation, and they often have dinner with Chen Chang'an in the evenings.

After finishing their meal, Princess Zhaoyue noticed that Chen Chang'an seemed a little absent-minded, so she took the initiative to ask, "Did something happen today? You seem to have something on your mind."

Chen Chang'an was just thinking about how to motivate the imperial heirs to study without telling stories.

When Miss Gongyue asked, he did not hide anything and slowly revealed that the Hanlin Academy had forbidden him from telling stories to the imperial heirs.

"This is outrageous!"

Qing Shuang slammed her hand on the table angrily and shouted, "This won't do, that won't do! Those old guys are shameless! They can't compose couplets, they can't write poems or essays, they can't play chess, they can't teach! They can't do it themselves, but they won't allow others to do it!"

Chen Chang'an shrugged and said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. This time, their reasoning is perfectly legitimate. The rules for teaching at the Eastern Palace are set by the royal family and conform to the established system of etiquette. Even if it goes up to His Majesty, they'll still have a reason..."

Princess Zhaoyue shook her head slightly and said, "The royal rules aren't necessarily correct. No matter what method you use, at least you can get the princes to study willingly. None of those rule-abiding scholars can do that..."

Chen Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief and said, "But the court doesn't care about these things. Unless we can overthrow the old system and let me take the lead in teaching the imperial heirs, it would be a violation of the academy's rules and a disregard for etiquette... Let's take it one step at a time."

This old fox, Dou Wenhuan, didn't use any underhanded methods this time; instead, he used rules and regulations to lock Chen Chang'an down...

He could only attend classes properly during class time, and then use his free time after class to tell them stories, so as not to violate the rules of the East Palace Academy.

However, being manipulated like this made Chen Chang'an very unhappy...

After thinking for a long time, his eyebrows suddenly twitched.

Princess Zhaoyue was very familiar with Chen Chang'an, and upon hearing this, she immediately asked, "Do you have a solution?"

Chen Chang'an looked at her and thought to himself that the person who understood him best was probably none other than Miss Gong Yue.

He nodded and said, "This incident might not be a bad opportunity. If we make a big fuss and get Dou Wenhuan into trouble, we might be able to completely change the situation and overturn the old, outdated rules..."

The reason those imperial heirs listened attentively to the lessons every day was not because they were genuinely interested in the content; what interested them was Journey to the West.

If they find out tomorrow that they can no longer listen to the story of that monkey in class, their enthusiasm for learning will probably vanish immediately.

At this point, if he were to throw a tantrum, especially if it involved the Hanlin Academy and implicated Dou Wenhuan, thus alarming His Majesty, things might take a turn for the better…

A figure appeared behind Chen Chang'an without his noticing, and said with a smile, "Go on, I'd like to hear it too..."

Chen Chang'an turned around and saw that it was Miss Gong Yue's father. He first invited him to sit down, and then said, "If this matter can attract His Majesty's attention and promote the reform of the Eastern Palace Academy, allowing teachers to teach according to students' aptitudes and prohibiting others from interfering, then there will be no more worries..."

The Emperor of Da Ning nodded and said, "That's a good idea..."

Chen Chang'an continued, "However, the imperial heirs have been quite well-behaved lately, so they might not cause any trouble..."

"Isn't that simple?"

Emperor Da Ning smiled, looked at Qing Shuang, and said, "Qing Shuang, don't you know Princess Zhao Yue? You can pass on a message to the princess and have those princes cause a scene at the Hanlin Academy. With such an incident, Dou Wen Huan will be held responsible. Your Majesty can then take the opportunity to promote the teaching reform of the Eastern Palace Academy, which will be a natural progression..."

Qing Shuang glanced at His Majesty, then at the princess, and after regaining her composure, immediately patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, I've got this under control!"